Clearing the decks

I've got into a bit of a rut with this model railway; in part, possibly in large part, because of the bloody mess of odds and ends that has gathered all over the baseboard.

But also, for several weeks, I have been awaiting delivery of  printed sheets of paper marked with cobble stones.

With these sheets I'm going to cover the streets around the station.

But, until those sheets arrive, my hands are tied. I can't place any cars or figures or pieces of street furniture into position.

So here are some views of the tidied up layout.

*********************************************************************************
Currently listening to:

A Blast from the Past

Here's a link to youTube for this song, released in 1967 from the soundtrack to the James Bond film of the same name.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgFtQPgHyek

Hardy perennial

Released in 1979.

This Week's Addiction

Auntie Flo on Rinse FM

This Weeks' Musical Treat

The Counterfeit Sixties at the Ayr Gaiety Theatre

The Counterfeit Sixties are a tribute band, obviously, re-visiting the pop music of the 1960s. Last Friday they played to a packed house at the Ayr Gaiety Theatre, and my brother-in-law and I were in attendance.

I haven't enjoyed a live musical event so much in years. These tribute bands provide a vastly superior listening experience to that of the original players coming back for a revival tour and stumbling and mumbling over the stage in their 50s, 60s or 70s.

For one thing, the tribute bands obviously feel the same excitement in producing this music and acting out their heroes' on stage that we fans do. That excitement came over to the audience on Friday.

In addition, the Counterfeit Sixties chose a really interesting set of songs to play, some of which I had forgotten.

They were also very competent musicians and were quite amusing in between songs.

A great evening all round.

This Week's Musical Purchase

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Currently Reading:

Still pretty good.

Can't believe I'm reading this - it's hilarious and gripping!

Here's a quote from Brother Lawrence:


"I do not advise you to use a multiplicity of words in prayer. Many words and long discourses are often the occasions of wandering. Hold yourself in prayer before God, like a dumb or paralytic beggar at a rich man's gate."

HO Scale Pavements and Pedestrians

Continued to address the problem of the pavement that stretches in front of the Gare du Nord facade. (See previous blog episode.)

I darkened the stretch of pavement further and then, using a 7B lead pencil, drew in the paving stones.

Fairly pleased with this effect.

Next, I turned my mind to populating the pavement with people making their way to the entrance of the station.

I used little plastic HO scale figures that I got from China, very cheaply, some months ago.

Wasn't sure how to fix the figures in position so tried the placing of little spots of blu tac in a pattern that I thought might suggest a lot of people being naturally funneled towards an entrance.

And then pressed each figure onto a spot of blu tac.

Quite a few unsatisfactory visual effects need to be addressed:

The colours of the figures are too garish - need some drabber colours that suggest French commuters of the 1950s/60s.

The spots of blu tac are a bit too obvious; makes it look as if everyone is wearing trainers!

Not confident that the figures won't fall down or list to one side - might need to try super glue.

*********************************************************************************
Currently listening to:

A Blast from the Past

I love the opening lines of Suite: Judy Blue Eyes:

"It's getting to the point where I'm no fun anymore
I am sorry
Sometimes it hurts so badly I must cry out loud
I am lonely....."

Here's a link to a youTube recording of same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMbuJXQCIvo

Hardy Perennial

Recently, we have been watching re-runs of the 1980s BBC comedy series, "Hi-de-Hi.." which was set in a 1950s/60s British holiday camp.

As children we spent many happy holidays in Butlin's holiday camps.

And it was from a shop actually situated within the Butlin's holiday camp at Filey, North Yorkshire, that I purchased my vinyl copy of Captain Beefheart's "Safe as Milk" - released unbelievably on the budget middle of the road record label, Marble Arch.

I can't think of  two concepts,  more widely separated, than "Butlin's" and "Captain Beefheart".

This Week's Addiction

Exhilerating

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Currently reading:

Finished

At last, after a couple of months of reading a few pages each day, I have finished this important book.

At the front are printed, the many tributes and accolades that this book has received. They mostly come from outside the running community (thank God) and they mirror my view of the book.

My view is summed up by the following quotation from towards the end of the book.

"I think ...........  , almost by definition, fell-runners are people who are ambitious neither for prestige nor for profit. Instead, they are motivated by a thirst for joy: the joy of being totally absorbed, as our ancestors were, in wild environments; the joy of throwing off the straitjackets of caution and civilisation; the joy of finding and pushing back limits; and, occasionally, the joy of doing things that one had thought impossible."

Samba drumming fulfils exactly the same role in my life.


"motivated by a thirst for joy: the joy of being totally absorbed; the joy of throwing off the straitjackets of caution and civilisation; the joy of finding and pushing back limits; and, occasionally, the joy of doing things that one had thought impossible."

This book reminds me of one I read a couple of years ago about an Englishman going to Spain to learn Flamenco guitar.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Also still reading:

H0 scale pavements - Gare du Nord

Having made satisfactory pavements around the card buildings across from the Gare du Nord, I turned my mind to the length of pavement running along the front of the Gare du Nord facade.

At the moment it is just a length of green card.

Instead of card, which can curl up when painted, I used some very smooth thin plastic sheeting, gleaned from a table mat.

Used the existing green card pavement as a stencil.

But, as usual, I was thwarted when it came to choosing the colour of the new plastic pavement.

Initially, I tried a pale beige which I subsequently darkened - but still it wasn't right.

As is my habit, I pencilled in the paving slabs with pencil.


Looking at the colours in the ceramic facade of the station, there is quite a lot of  gun-metal, so I mixed up some water colour paints and smeared a dirty blue gray colour across the existing yellowish effort.

This looks much more promising.

*********************************************************************************
Currently listening to:

A Blast from the Past

First released in 1966

Here's a link to youTube of Bobby Darin singing this song live in 1973.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjFRLOktHXo

And here's a link to him singing the song live with Stevie Wonder in 1969.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IzhJxdebrc

Bobby Darin and Stevie Wonder

Hardy Perennial

This Week's Addiction

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Currently reading:

This book continues to inspire.

This book gets better and better

And the March edition of the magazine of the SNCF Society.

I particularly like the picture on the back cover which shows the 08.54 train from Lyons to Tours crossing the Tarare viaduct. Surprisingly, the photo was taken as recently October 2014. Surprisingly, because most trains in France these days are boring railcars with no locomotives.


MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Miscellany:

A very enjoyable morning:

Went to see a French film at the GFT (cinema in Glasgow) which started at 11am. It was actually very good - based around the Electronic music scene in Paris during the 1990s.

Well Part 1 was about that period. Part 2 moved into the 21st Century and I took my leave at that point. Still, the first half was excellent.

Then met my big sister, niece and grand-niece for lunch at the Kelvingrove Art Galleries and took my grand-niece to view one of my favourite paintings therein by Albert Marquet.

The harbour at Algiers